Living Life
by Protozoa
Summary: Bella has decided to break away from Edward and experiment with life. She's goes to a party with Jacob in La Push and discovers she can cut loose and have a good time.


I can't believe that Meyer made the hottest character end up with a baby and the main character with a dead guy. I refuse to see Breaking Dawn. Foolish woman… Anyway, on to the story!

This wasn't like her at all, but then again, that was the point.

It had hit her one day, the fact that her own life wasn't in her hands. It was in a pair of cold and life-less ones.

She no longer wanted to depend on Edward for everything. He had proved how dangerous that could be. It was a new thing she decided to try: be an independent person.

Maybe it was a comment Charlie had made something along the lines of, "Bells, there are millions of people in the world and every one of them is different. You've met one, and you're willing to settle down and throw away millions of other opportunities?" He was right, of course. He knew Edward wasn't right for her, and she was beginning to see it for herself.

Well, she was ready to live a little. She had also decided she wasn't going to hide it from Edward… well, not all of it at least. Sometimes you have to take baby steps.

In fact, he was constantly reminding her of all the experiences she was missing out on. Besides, even if he did end up being the one for her, he would still be there waiting. He had promised.

I had told him that tonight I was going to my first party with Jessica and Mike.

There had been no questions asked, and I couldn't be more grateful for that. You see, I was not going to a high school party with Jess and Mike, but rather a huge "kegger" in La Push. Too make it better; Jacob would be taking me. It was the first time I was doing this, and as you can probably imagine, I was beyond nervous.

I was just about ready. I had decided on the casual jeans and hoodie. Seeing as it was a bunch of werewolves, it would most likely take place outdoors. I chose to spend extra time on my make-up, advice from Renee. That way, you don't look like you're trying, but still hold the attention of everyone in the room for your "hidden beauty". Thanks Renee.

"Hey you." Jacob had managed to once again sneak into my room unnoticed. Surprise.

I turned away from the mirror and noticed his deep V-neck, navy blue tee. I had never seen him wear it before. Did that mean he was dressing up? Am I under-dressed? "Jake, I'm freaking out here. I have no idea what to expect!"

"Whoa, Bella relax. It's just a party; the idea is to have a good time." I was still running my hands through my hair with anxiety. "You look beautiful".

That got me to smile, even if I've heard him say it a million times. "Thanks Jake, you look nice too. New shirt?'

He gave his cocky grin. "Yup, I finally get to take you out, so I decided to dress up for the occasion".

I slapped his shoulder playfully. "We should get going, shouldn't we?"

Jake checked the time. It was 9:30. "Yeah, it will take a half hour and we don't want everyone too wasted before we even get there. We'll have to play catch-up." I must have looked surprised because he said, "Don't worry; you don't have to drink if you don't want to… and I guess I won't either if you would prefer. I promise I will keep you safe tonight."

I decided not to tell him whether I would be drinking or not; mostly because I hadn't decided yet. I didn't want to put myself in a situation that I would back out of. Yeah, I'm stepping out of my comfort zone and trying to live life to the fullest, but I was still Bella Swan. "Let's go, you party animal".

* * *

><p>"Really Jake, what is wrong with you Quilletes? I've never heard of a party in the middle of the woods before. We've been walking forever." I tripped over the upturned root of a tree for about the tenth time that night.<p>

Jake gave a smile I could see in the dark. "Bella, you just need to get out more. We're almost there, I can hear them already." He took my hand and led me through the dark. I could smell the smoke from the fire and see a tiny glow far ahead. I could tell he was getting excited, but I just grew more nervous.

"Excuse me, but I believe that is what I am doing." I really was trying.

Jake's smile faltered. "I know, I'm sorry Bells, I was just kidding. I'm glad you're here, and I want you to enjoy yourself. Let me know if you want to leave and I promise to take you home."

That sounded an awful lot like the old Bella, and the new Bella didn't like it.

I took a deep breath. Quit being so negative, think positive Polly. Just be happy. I hadn't realized it, but I must have been lost in my motivational thoughts for a few minutes, because we were about to enter the party. "Jake, I think I'm ready for this." He flashed me another smile.

Music was blaring from a radio, shirtless boys were everywhere, bottles and cans were piled high around a keg, girls were dancing suggestively to the music, and in the middle of it feeding life and light to the party, was a huge bon fire. It looked like a good time.

As soon as we stepped into the glow of the fire we were approached by Quil and Embry. "Holy shit Bells! I didn't know you were going to be here!" Quil wrapped me in a tight embrace and I could smell the alcohol on him. The embrace lasted a few seconds longer than necessary. "You look great, I'm so glad you are here."

Jacob grabbed my hand. Embry must have noticed and smiled at his reaction; he decided against any physical contact. "It's definitely nice to see you again. You guys want any drinks?"

Jake nodded and looked down at me. "Sure." I was comfortable and wanted to have a good time.

We made our way over to the pile of alcohol. I couldn't help but notice a few looks as we walked across the party. What the hell was that for? I guess they could tell from my pale skin that I was an outsider…The music pouring over the crowd wasn't familiar to me, but it had a nice beat.

"Beer or liquor?" Embry asked, showing the options.

Jake grabbed the bottle of liquor. "Take a shot with me Bells?"

I'm not sure what it was, but he almost seemed nervous. I smiled at him. "Let's do it".

He uncapped the bottle, brought it to his lips, and took a rather large swig. By the time he lowered the bottle there was a noticeable amount missing. He seemed unfazed. "Your turn."

I smiled at him, but really, I was nervous. Alcohol had never touched my lips. I grabbed the bottle from him and took three large gulps. At first I took it as well as Jake did, until my body registered the burn and taste. I grimaced and felt goose bumps form on my arms. "Ugh, wasn't expecting that."

"Damn girl, impressive", said a voice I didn't recognize. It seemed there was a small group watching us. Jake growled.

I didn't know what to say to that, so I chose to ignore it. "Is there anything t-"

Before I could finish asking, Embry was handing me a can of Coke with a smile on his face. "That was quite the shot Bella".

I smiled and handed him the bottle, I was feeling better with the taste out of my mouth. It honestly wasn't that bad. "I guess it's your turn now".

Embry gladly gulped down another few inches of the bottle and passed it on to Quil, who did the same. Jake then grabbed the bottle and it made its second round.

It wasn't as bad the second time; I didn't take as much now that I knew what to expect. I could feel the affects already though. My legs were beginning to tingle and I could feel a warm flush in my cheeks. Jake's nervousness seemed to be gone. I took a moment to observe my surroundings and noticed that a few people had begun to full-out dance. There was only one guy that was surrounded by girls. He seemed to be really enjoying himself. After a few moments I recognized who it was.

"Is that Seth?"

He somehow managed to hear me over the loud music and voices. Oh yeah, damn those enhanced senses. He turned at the sound of my voice and a huge grin appeared on his flushed face. Immediately he stopped dancing and ran over to me.

"Bella!" He grabbed me into a tight embrace. I hugged him back, Seth was a great kid. He reminded me of a younger Jake. As he pulled away from the hug he placed a kiss on my cheek. I flushed even more. Seth was obviously intoxicated.

"Aren't you a little young to be partying and drinking?"

Seth frowned. "If I'm old enough to kill protecting my people, I'm old enough to drink. Besides, I'm part of the pack. These are my brothers; they couldn't leave me out if they wanted!"

"Fair enough, you got a point there." The bottle was once again being handed to me. I gladly accepted it and took another shot followed by a swig of the coke.

"No way! I never thought I would see you drinking Bella."

"Same to you Seth!" I looked over to Jake and noticed that he was smiling. "What are you smiling about mister?"

"Bella, are you drunk?" Seth put a hand to my warm cheeks.

"I'm not sure to be honest." Was I? I was feeling warm, and as cliché as it may be, I felt more confident.

"First time drinking," Jake said still smiling. I think he was finding this amusing.

"Glad you are enjoying yourself Bells. I have to get back to dancing though; I have to let my inner animal out!"

I rolled my eyes and Seth ran back out to the dance floor. Quill handed me the bottle and, once again, I took a shot. I was definitely feeling something by now. Hell, I had had about 5 shots. The bottle was almost empty.

Scratch that, it was gone. Embry ran off and came back with another bottle.

After number 7, I think, Quill whispered something into Jake's ear. He smiled at first and then looked a little worried. He looked at me before stepping closer.

I will admit my surroundings were confusing me. My brain was working slower, and I had to try harder to comprehend anything. "Jacob, secretss don't make friends." Brilliant.

"Bella, would you like to come with us? We're going to smoke." Jake was smiling very nervously.

I didn't know Jake smoked. I didn't particularly care though. "Sure." The boys turned to walk off into the forest, and I began to follow them. However, I shortly discovered how hard of a task walking had become.

"Whoa there Bells, let me help you." Jake slung an arm around me and helped sturdy my balance. "You ok?"

"I'm fine, thanks." I put all my weight on to him. I'm not sure if it was my imagination, but it almost seemed like Jake was having a hard time walking as well.

"Are you enjoying yourself?" He had stopped moving and was facing me. His eyes looked at me desperately.

I began to blush, or maybe it was the alcohol. "Yeah, I am." It wasn't a lie. It felt nice to cut loose and not have to worry about anything. Jake moved closer. Normally this is the point where I would back away, but I wasn't concerned with being responsible.

Just as our lips were about to meet, Quil was shouting at us. "Hey you two, lets go! There's time for that later."

Jake and I broke apart, and this time I was sure it was not just the alcohol that caused my face to flush. He once again placed his arm around me to steady my balance and we followed Quill further into the woods.

Gah! What is going to happen? Let me know if you have any constructive criticism or spot a mistake.


End file.
